13 Aug 2021; MEMO: Construction companies in Israel have been invited to submit tenders for the construction of the Mughrabi Gate Bridge which takes Israelis from the Al-Buraq courtyard (Western Wall) into Al-Aqsa Mosque compounds.
Companies wishing to submit have been asked to sign a confidentiality clause, Yedioth Ahronoth reported today, which says: "I hereby pledge to maintain complete and absolute confidentiality of classified information and every detail related to or stemming from it, and not to publish or disclose in any way whatsoever before any person or body and all for an unlimited period."
A tour of the site was organised for contractors last month and they have been told that work needs to be completed within two months of when it commences, the paper said.
The current bridge was built of wood in 2004 and is said to be in a dangerous condition and may only be good for purpose for a few more months.
The Mughrabi Gate is the only door leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque which the occupation has the keys to after it took it from the Islamic Waqf in 1967. Israel allows tourists and Israelis to enter the Muslim holy site through the door, including right-wing members of the Knesset and settlers who storm the area, and hold prayers.
Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site for Muslims, while Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
